"We did what we thought was best at that point in time."
Empty, meaningless words uttered by Supreme Leader A. There was no doubt that every action taken thus far in the Fourth Shinobi World War was done in the name of the greater good. But for A to so easily share the blame now that things had gone awry…
Well, Gaara could not say that he was surprised. The Raikage was a proud man, and to expect him to take responsibility for the failure of the plan that he had been a strong advocate for was perhaps asking too much.
"Of course, Raikage," Ohnoki agreed easily, "We had hoped that Naruto and your brother would be able to secure the Bijuu and prevent the birth of the Jyuubi. Even when the plan did not work out the first time -"
At this point, Gaara became aware of the multiple sets of eyes levelled at him; He chose to ignore them, straightening his back to sit up taller in his seat.
"- We were certain that a second attempt could not go wrong, especially with the White Fang's son accompanying him once more."
Hatake Kakashi. The sole wielder of the Sharingan in the Allied Shinobi Forces. More impressively, he had evolved his eye into a Mangekyo Sharingan - one of the few dojutsu known to be capable of controlling the Bijuu's.
He was supposed to be the fail-safe for their plan to stop Madara's Tsuki no Me. If Naruto could not persuade the Jinchuuriki's and their Bijuu's to join their alliance, Kakashi was to either force them to do so, or failing which, to command them to destroy each other. And if Naruto or Killer Bee looked on the verge of falling into Madara's hand, Kakashi was to eliminate them without hesitation.
Gaara had been against the plan from the start. Not only were they deliberately tossing his dearest friend into the jaws of Akatsuki, they were also placing an unduly heavy burden on the famed Copy Nin. And killing the Jinchuuriki's would free their Bijuu, whose loyalties were questionable (especially that of the Kyuubi's, no matter what good things Naruto had to say about the fox demon now). There had been much arguing back-and-forth for several days, tempers fraying and voices raised - mostly from the Raikage and his retainers.
Tsunade lending her voice to the Raikage's side of the argument on the sixth day was not something Gaara expected.
"We are shinobi with a duty to world peace. Naruto, Killer Bee and Kakashi have all agreed to the plan," at this point, Tsunade had turned to address Gaara directly, "Your concerns are noted, Kazekage. Naruto is too stubborn to fail, and even if he did, Kakashi would not let his sacrifice go to waste.
"You are asking Naruto to abandon his fellow Jinchuuriki to Madara's whims. He would never be persuaded to do that, if there is even the slightest chance that he can free them. And since the entire war is hinged on either one side possessing all the Bijuu, or the other side keeping the last two free Jinchuuriki from Madara's hand, you know that this confrontation is inevitable."
Indeed, there were too many ways for their plan to go wrong. But Gaara had to concede that Tsunade was correct: they were at an impasse with Akatsuki, and an immortal with an undead army had the luxury to wait out their opponents. Their shinobi army, on the other hand, was starting to get restless from months of no meaningful combat, spending their days fighting against White Zetsus masquerading as friends and trying their mental fortitude more each day.
It was why he had agreed to the first iteration of the plan to send Naruto and Killer Bee to flush out the Akatsuki base to not only wipe out the White Zetsus, but also to secure the Bijuu which they assumed were at the same location.
Sakura being sent as the medic-nin of the accompanying four-man team soon after was knowledge that was deliberately withheld from him. Gaara had been caught completely off-guard the day when Sakura had been summoned to the War Council's headquarters, a sick feeling of unease seated deep inside his guts when he found her in this very building months ago. All he could do was to hold her to comfort her, and lie about how much he knew of her mission.
He had gone off to the desert to blow up several canyons in frustration later that night.
When the bestial form of Killer Bee dropped in on their encampment over a week later, the only words he recognised out of the rapping Gyuki's mouth were "Sakura" and "hurt", and he saw red.
No, he would not let them risk his personal medic's life again on another attempt at this foolhardy mission, and led his own contingent to annihilate the Akatsuki base soon after. It was around that time when his abrasiveness with the Raikage reached a new height.
So imagine his surprise when not even a day after his birthday celebrations, the Raikage told him almost as an afterthought that Naruto and Killer Bee had been authorised to proceed with the same mission perimetres once more.
"And this time, we will only send the Konoha jonin Hatake and Maito as support," the Raikage had sneered at Gaara's impressively fierce glare, "So we will not have to risk another bout of foolishness from our young Regimental Commander and fellow Kage."
Everything pretty much went to hell in a handbasket after that.
With the two strongest Jinchuuriki missing from their army, Madara succeeded in not only almost killing the five Kage, he also wiped out a significant number of their remaining strength.
Now it turned out that their Intelligence had been wrong since before the war efforts even commenced: Madara was a soul resurrected to their world by Edo Tensei by none other than Uchiha Obito, who in turn was supposed to have died during the Third Shinobi World War.
The massive tree-like structure that Gaara and his men found at the Akatsuki base had been a key component of Madara and Obito's Tsuki no Me plan, and the Allied Shinobi Forces had left it untouched when they found out it could not be destroyed; there were no signs of life in it when they chose to do so.
It was a mistake that they would come to regret
Unknown to them that tree housed the Gedo Statue where the Bijuu's were hidden away in, their chakra signatures all but gone whilst locked in stasis inside. No one would have expected Obito to transport the Gedo Statue much later, releasing the Bijuu and their Jinchuuriki a great distance away to lure Naruto and Killer Bee to them.
Madara had waited until the last two Jinchuuriki were too far away to return in time to help the shinobi army before he launched his devastating attack on them less than two weeks ago.
"So, am I to understand that Madara is an undead?" Mei glanced around the table, confusion evident in her eyes, "How did he remain in our world after Edo Tensei was broken?"
"Who can question the powers of the founder of Konoha's Uchiha clan?" Shikaku replied, the table surface in front of him absolutely covered in scrolls and an assortment of maps, "Edo Tensei is a type of jutsu. And like all jutsu's, there is always a way to both make and undo it. We can only assume that Madara found a way to counter that and retain his soul."
"And what of Naruto and Killer Bee?" Gaara asked, already knowing the answer from his earlier conversation with Tsunade.
Shikaku turned to a scroll where Gaara could make out a hastily-scribbled mission report, and he spoke up in a clear voice, "Naruto and Killer Bee are on their way back to us. Killer Bee had lost one of his tentacles to Akatsuki early on, and Obito had fed the remains of Kinkaku and Ginkaku to it as well. They had lured Naruto and Killer Bee to them in hopes of obtaining more of their Bijuu's chakra, as apparently a vast amount is needed to revive the Jyuubi quickly. Without their complete Bijuu's, there is no telling how long the process will take.
"Kakashi reported that Obito had failed to do so, and our mission to retrieve or destroy the Bijuu's has failed. We are effectively just waiting for the eventual revival of the Jyuubi now."
A potent silence lingered in the main hall as everyone at the table digested the information presented to them.
Tsunade was the first to voice the question that was in everyone's minds, "How much time do we have?"
The head of the Nara clan could only shake his head, replying, "I am sorry to say we have no idea, Hokage-sama. Madara had boasted that if they had managed to capture both the Kyuubi and Hachibi, they would have revived the Jyuubi almost immediately. Since we have no information on the process of reviving the Jyuubi, it could be days or even weeks before it awakens."
"So that was Orochimaru's plan!" Tsunade shouted abruptly, shoving her chair back so suddenly that it toppled over with a loud clatter.
Orochimaru - the reason for this meeting in the first place, which was currently usurped by the most recent developments in the war courtesy of the ever-unpredictable Uzumaki Naruto.
"Shall I bring him in, Honourable Kage's?" asked Shikaku.
At his question, all eyes were turned to the Raikage. He met each of their gaze with defiance before turning to nod to Shikaku, who heaved a silent sigh before exiting the room, arms filled with the pile of scrolls and papers that he had brought to the meeting.
"Hokage, what do you mean, his 'plan'?" Gaara leaned over and asked softly.
Tsunade, still fuming, spoke through gritted teeth, "Edo Tensei was a forbidden jutsu developed in Konohagakure. Orochimaru was the first in decades to rediscover it. I knew his offer to heal Yamato had to have meant something besides the goodness of his heart."
Noting the confusion in Gaara's features, Tsunade chose instead to right her seat and settle back in as she scowled.
"Let him come in and explain himself and his offer, and we'll see if my guess is correct."
The sound of shuffling footsteps from down the hall caught the attention of the room's occupants, and they all turned towards the open doorway. Several moments later, two shinobi guards entered the room. Orochimaru followed close behind them, and he was in turn tailed by four other guards.
Moving as if he was a regular guest to the headquarters, Orochimaru stepped forward, his hands held up in a placating gesture as he stopped at the end of the table. Elaborate, inscription-covered metal manacles rattled and glittered on his wrists, held together by a short length of heavy chain.
The manacles had to be infused with various strong jutsu to prevent the Sannin from breaking and escaping from them, but Shikamaru had the sneaking suspicion that Orochimaru wore it more out of politeness than outright submission; one did not become one of the most wanted criminals in the bingo books if they could be so easily subdued.
"Honourable Kage's," Orochimaru smiled in greeting, then he turned purposefully towards Tsunade and added, "Tsunade, you're looking well."
"Save it, Orochimaru," Tsunade spat out, "You have five minutes to make your case."
"Is this how you talk to someone who holds the key to our victory, Tsunade?" Orochimaru was positively leering by now.
"'Our victory'? You better explain your choice of words, snake, or I'll rip the answers right out from your skinny throat!" The Raikage rose from his seat and gestured towards Orochimaru, his fingers curling in the air for emphasis.
Chains jangling softly as Orochimaru reached up to push his hair back, he said, "I have no use for a world suspended in an eternal dream. My plan of acquiring every jutsu known to mankind would come to an end. Stopping Madara allows me to continue my pursuit of knowledge, and I can promise your villages will remain mostly untouched by me in the coming years. What I seek now is beyond that of what the shinobi world knows, anyway."
"So what is this? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'?" asked Ohnoki suspiciously.
The pale Sannin nodded, and continued, "You should know by now that the Jyuubi was always going to be revived, no matter what you do in an attempt to stop it. You are betting on Kakashi to be able to control it, but he cannot even control the unleashed Kyuubi. What you really need is the power of Senju Hashirama."
The table in front of Tsunade began creaking under her tightened grip on its lip.
"I can resurrect your grandfather for you, Tsunade. Along with the other Hokage's, I can bring to the table some of the most formidable shinobi in our history. The First Hokage fought toe-to-toe with Madara, after all, and I expect his powers to be sufficient to counter that of the Jyuubi's," Orochimaru offered a smile as a contrast to Tsunade's stern expression, "I have given you back your own Wood Release user as a show of good faith, so if you decide not to take me up on my offer, you will at least stand a sliver of a chance against Madara and the Jyuubi."
That was, in short, a total load of horse manure.
While a useful tool, it was no secret that the skill level of Yamato's Wood Release technique did not even begin to register against Senju Hashirama's. To stand a chance against the Jyuubi - the amalgam of all nine Bijuu's - they would need to have either an incredibly powerful Mangekyou Sharingan user on their side (Kakashi's limited power in doing so had just eliminated him as that possibility), or else they needed an immensely strong Wood Release user.
"Oh," Tsunade's voice suddenly dropped to a whisper, and her eyes widened in realisation as she murmured, "Madara's body had my grandfather's DNA in it. He wasn't using him to heal his body at all, because he wouldn't have needed it if he had been brought back by Edo Tensei."
Turning to sweep her now alarmed gaze at the other Kage's, Tsunade muttered, "Madara was not planning on controlling the Jyuubi with his Sharingan. They had planned to use Wood Release to bend the Jyuubi to their will all along."
The silence that followed was oppressive in its presence, only to be shattered by a series of slow claps from the snake Sannin.
"Well done, Tsunade. You always were the second smartest of the three of us," Orochimaru offered up the thinly-veiled insult, "Now that you have realised what you are up against, surely you must see the wisdom in my plan to bring back the Hokage's so we can fight fire with fire, so to speak."
"You came here with word about an alliance," A addressed the Sannin sternly, "Your offer seems very generous, considering that you are asking for nothing."
Orochimaru touched his hand to his chest, feigning hurt as he replied, "I only asked to remain unmolested after the war, Raikage-sama. Let me go on with my studies and continue my quest for knowledge. That is all I ask of the alliance. In exchange, I will hand you the key to our joint victory."
The Kage's looked to each other, not quite certain who should be the first to speak.
Gaara's brow bones were drawn tightly together as he steepled his hands, head lowered as he digested the information that both Orochimaru and Tsunade had divulged. He had been a victim of the snake Sannin's schemes once, as had just about everyone at this table, but he knew he could not let what transpired in the past dictate their plans for the future.
"I have a question, Orochimaru," Gaara was the first to speak, and everyone in the room turned to face him.
"Ask away, Kazekage," there was a ghost of a smirk on Orochimaru's face, and Gaara had to fight back the irrational urge to knock it off of him with a blast of sand.
"Where is Uchiha Sasuke?"
No one had foreseen that question from Gaara, that was for sure; In fact, everyone in the room was now outright staring at the youngest Kage. Gaara kept his gaze locked on Orochimaru, just barely registering the tensing of A's shoulders in the corner of his eye.
"Not what I was expecting, I'll admit," Orochimaru's smile fell, and his expression turned neutral, "The boy and his team are not a threat, if that's what you're asking."
"I'm not asking that," Gaara replied. "His location, if you will."
"What is this absol…" Whatever the Raikage was about to say, he was stopped by Tsunade holding a hand out in front of his heaving chest.
Orochimaru's loud laughter as he threw back his head made the fine hair at the back of Gaara's neck stand straight up. There was too much glee in their prisoner's tone, and Gaara could feel himself inwardly clenching up with mistrust.
"Such a grudge you bear against that boy, Kazekage! Twice you've failed to bring him to his knees, and now you want me to present him to you as a peace offering?" Orochimaru continued to laugh, "Sasuke is beyond even my control now, and we are all at the mercy of his whims!"
Who could forget how the arrival of the last living Uchiha at the Five Kage Summit had preceded the declaration of war? Certainly not the Raikage, who had lost an arm to the raven-haired avenger. Sasuke had grown into his powers, and it had taken the combined might of the five Kage's to counter his attacks. That no one had thought to track down this man since the war began was a massive oversight on their part.
Though to be fair, they could not justify the deployment of resources to such a cause, either. Not when the fate of the entire world was at stake.
"Answer us, Orochimaru. I have the right to know where my shinobi are, even if this one has done some foolish things in his past," ordered Tsunade, her brown eyes fiery with a maelstrom of emotions.
Orochimaru tilted his head, considering Tsunade's words as he did so, and finally conceded with a shrug of his shoulders, "The last I heard, Sasuke has been laying low at the fringes of Konohagakure. He is weighing his options, and trying to decide whose lot to throw in with."
At his answer, Tsunade appeared visibly shaken; Sasuke had every reason to seek vengeance against all of Konoha for what the village elders had done to his brother and in turn, his entire clan. He was a ticking time bomb, and even the news that he was considering joining their side was cold comfort at best. Because should he choose otherwise, no one would be there to stop him from wiping Konohagakure off the face of the earth.
"However," Orochimaru held a finger up, a smile on his face once more, "I believe Sasuke can be persuaded to join the alliance. And that is where I come in.
"Allow me to resurrect the Hokage's, and let them speak to the boy in our stead. If anyone can impress onto him the value of our way of life, it would be one of those old coots. They know the meddlings that our council is quite fond of, after all, and will no doubt help the boy see light."
The pale Sannin was essentially offering them a coin toss, and the result could be a formidable addition to their army, or it could just as well spell the death of everyone.
"Those are terrible odds," Gaara intoned evenly, giving voice to everyone's thoughts, and his eyes flickered towards Tsunade's briefly before he turned his full attention back to Orochimaru. "You wish to resurrect the deceased Hokage's, have them use their pretty words against Sasuke, and pray that we will end up with his strength to add to ours.
"I should kill you, Orochimaru, for your betrayal and murder of my father. And for the havoc that you're wrought upon our world in your thirst for the power that knowledge promised. And yet, I cannot deny the possibilities in your offer."
"A very astute conclusion, Kazekage," Orochimaru affected a small bow, "You make your village proud with wisdom beyond your years."
"Spare the flattery. I am speaking now as the Regimental Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces, and I see some merit in your offer of an alliance. Understand, however, that if you show even the slightest hint of betrayal…" Gaara left the rest of his sentence unsaid, and promptly turned to face the other Kage's.
Gaara had entered this meeting with the understanding that he would most likely leave with a new ally; Their numbers were ravaged, and they had no means of controlling the Jyuubi once it was unleashed upon their world. Their army was restless and battle-worn (living in the encampment with his men gave him a ground-level view of the situation that his fellow Kage's sorely lacked), and with the more recent meetings he had with the other Kage's that was starting to dawdle more on pressing village matters rather than the war at hand, he knew something had to change.
It was a case of choosing the lesser of two evils. Even if the difference was a very slight one.
And if that evil came with the inclusion of a certain Uchiha male that meant the world to Naruto and Sakura, he would endure it for both their sakes.
"I vote we accept Orochimaru's offer of an alliance," Gaara reasserted himself, and looked pointedly at Tsunade who was seated next to him.
Tsunade noted the intensity of the jade-green gaze directed at her, almost as if their owner was willing her to see the wisdom in his vote.
Not that Gaara had to try very hard - Tsunade's hand was forced as much as his was.
"I vote in agreement with the Regimental Commander," said Tsunade, and she too, turned to face the rest of the Kage's.
One by one, with varying degrees of wariness, each of the remaining Kage's muttered their vote to fold the snake Sannin into their alliance.
The Raikage was the last one to vote, and the tension in the room was so thick by then, it could have been sliced with a knife. Orochimaru, having secured the majority vote he required, simply chose to smile serenely at the fuming man.
"I should slaughter each and everyone of you for siding with that treacherous snake and his cold-hearted apprentice," A practically spat at the Kage's as his gaze swept through them all, "But I will be remiss in my duties as the Supreme Leader to not see the wisdom in this alliance, so I vote 'yes' as well to this madness."
"An excellent decision, Raikage."
Orochimaru clapped his hands together, a beaming smile on his lips as the manacles on his hand abruptly cracked open and fell uselessly to the floor with a loud clang. The shinobi guards around them immediately tensed up and surrounded him in the next instant, a bewildering number of weapons drawn against his flesh.
Shikamaru inwardly sighed, and resisted the urge to slap his head; Of course Orochimaru had pretended to be powerless, and the guards that were now on him were in real danger of being killed if the alliance offer was a sham.
Meanwhile, the five Kage's simply stared back at him, none of them making any moves in reaction to the dislodging of his shackles.
"Too dramatic?" Orochimaru asked as he lifted both hands up in a mock surrender.
"You can be such a little shit at times, Orochimaru," Tsunade's response was a resigned shake of her head, then proceeded to address the nervous guards, "Back off already. If he had wanted to harm us, it is obvious he could have done it anytime he wanted to."
The brandished weapons were withdrawn quickly, and Orochimaru gave Tsunade a nod before turning on his heels to leave unaccompanied. Taking his departure as a cue, the other Kage's followed close behind him. It was clear to them all that none of them trusted Orochimaru as far as they could throw him (the Raikage and Hokage could both probably throw him pretty far, but that was a moot point), and they wanted to bear witness to his departure before concluding this meeting.
Exiting the headquarters, they were all met with the most curious sight of a pink-haired kunoichi with a sand-cat winding itself between her legs, her arms held tightly around herself. She released her death-grip upon hearing the door swing open, and her eyes immediately searched out Gaara's.
"Haruno-san?" Gaara asked, suppressing the surprise in his voice as best as he could.
Sakura had no business coming to the headquarters unannounced; Regular shinobi were not allowed near the building, let alone into it, unless summoned directly. She knew that the odds were that she would get a stern telling-to for her actions. So Sakura stood still, her mind wavering between approaching the Kazekage or her Hokage. Emerald-green eyes flickered between them both, and Gaara felt himself seized by an urge to approach her to speak soothing words into her ears.
"Sakura, just the person I wanted to see," Tsunade spoke up with feigned cheerfulness, a stark contrast to how she had felt just moments ago. "We are expecting Naruto back in a week or so, and I was wondering if you can give him a full physical then?"
In essence, the Hokage was letting her apprentice know that Naruto was as healthy as can be - one would not be performing a physical on an injured man, and would instead have to focus on healing him. Sakura understood her mentor's words at once, and she visibly relaxed.
"Of course, shishou. He is several weeks overdue for it already."
Meanwhile, Orochimaru was studying Sakura's interactions with the two Kage, and he had a fist pressed to his chin as he regarded the kunoichi.
"You are Sasuke's former teammate, aren't you?" His snake-like yellow eyes lit up in recognition, "The girl that he holds dear to his heart?"
His words made Gaara's fingernails dig painfully into his palms as he restrained himself from responding. Similarly, Sakura's brows had knitted in a mixture of confusion and surprise.
"Orochimaru," Sakura finally greeted him curtly, "What would someone like you know of Sasuke's heart, when all you ever wanted was his body?"
Shikamaru fought back the urge to gag at the visual supplied to his brain while Mei and Ohnoki visibly shuddered, and Orochimaru himself smiled wickedly at the kunoichi.
"I no longer have a use for his body, kunoichi. But when I did, it would have been foolish of me to not understand its needs and desires," Orochimaru noted how Sakura's eyes took on a haunted look, and added, "However, who is to say what his motives are, now that the world is embroiled in this terrible war? I doubt restoration of his clan is on the forefront of his mind, seeing there wouldn't be a world to raise the next generation of Uchihas in if we do not stop Madara."
"Enough of your speculation on the boy, Orochimaru. We have agreed to your terms, and now it is time for you to carry out your end of the bargain," Tsunade spoke, obviously wanting the subject to be changed, "And if you should ever gain his ear, tell Sasuke that he will not find things waiting unchanged for him."
Orochimaru pondered Tsunade's words, watching Sakura for her reactions as he did so. He remembered peering into Sasuke's thoughts as the boy slept, finding more than a few pleasant memories he had secreted away in the deepest recesses of his mind concerning one pink-haired female. That individual was without a doubt Haruno Sakura, and she was standing before them now very much a grown woman - a stark contrast to the little girl that Sasuke had left behind.
It was not too presumptuous for Orochimaru to assume that Sasuke would consider Sakura a suitable woman to restore his bloodline with, seeing how she was accepted as the apprentice to his fellow Sannin. Tsunade must have seen great potential in her, the same way he saw Sasuke's; The Uchiha clan was a prestigious one that would require a strong matriarch to birth more Sharingan users.
However, he could now feel a pair of jade-green eyes boring into the back of his skull, its owner radiating barely-concealed violence in his glare. And the way Sakura's gaze had landed straight on the redhead's the moment they exited the headquarters…
Interesting.
"Time waits for no man, that I agree with," Orochimaru finally replied, his voice causing the tension in the air to break, "I will go and fulfil our end of the bargain now, Honourable Kage's, and I hope to bring good news to you all soon."
Forming a series of hand seals, the ground under the pale Sannin's feet cracked, and he dropped into the earth to quickly tunnel away. Within seconds, only the faintest of his chakra signature lingered.
"Haruno-san, is everything well?"
Gaara had walked up to Sakura, and his closeness startled her enough to make her take an involuntary step backwards. That was not a response he had hoped to garner from her, and it caused a frown to appear on his face.
Sakura finally turned to him, her eyes betraying her continued confusion at Orochimaru's words, and she finally nodded, "I was just worried about Naruto. I knew it wouldn't be right of me to come here to ask about him, but…"
Tsunade stepped forward, folding Sakura into a motherly hug as she whispered, "I understand your fears for him, Sakura. Nevertheless, Naruto is alive and well, and even if his mission did not succeed, the important thing is that he lives to fight another day."
The other Kage's had turned away from Tsunade and Sakura in the meantime, allowing them their privacy as they returned to the headquarters. Gaara stood in place, arms folded as he replayed the Snake Sannin's words in his head.
Just because Sakura had moved on from her childish crush on Sasuke did not mean that the same applied to the Uchiha male. Orochimaru had all but voiced that Sasuke felt some level of romantic attraction towards Sakura.
And if they could bargain away their pride to accept Orochimaru's offer of something as foul as summoning the dead, what was to stop his fellow Kage's from agreeing to barter his personal medic away to convince Sasuke to take their side?
This was a war, after all. The greater good had to take precedent.
But maybe he was just overthinking things; Gaara had not slept since they boarded the ink-bird in the Land of Waves, and the focus he had to bring to their War Council meeting had drained his mental resources.
For one, Sakura would never consent to being bartered away like some breeding stock.
For another, he would smite anyone who proposed such an offer with all the sand in the world he could summon.
And that was a lot of sand.
"Hokage, I will speak to Haruno-san on what I can. We will depart now," Gaara nodded to Tsunade.
He walked forward just as Tsunade stepped away, holding a hand out to Sakura as he approached. At his gesture, Tsunade cocked an eyebrow while Sakura blushed lightly. However, they would both end up looking foolish if she left his hand hanging in mid-air between them, so she placed hers inside of his before things became too awkward. The sand-cat slipped between their legs, purring as it did so.
If Tsunade had anything to say about Gaara's open display of gentlemanly manners (he did that for all female travellers in his sand, right?), it went unheard as both the Kazekage and his personal medic vanished in a cloud of sand soon after.
Leaving behind one dumbfounded Shikamaru, who was now about to face the prospects of taking an hour-long walk back to the camp.
Tsunade clapped his back sympathetically, and suggested, "I could ask the Tsuchikage if he'd be so kind as…"
"That won't be necessary, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru held his hands up in a warding gesture, "I could use the exercise, anyway."
Tsunade nodded and walked back into the headquarters, leaving Shikamaru to glare skywards at the punishingly hot midday sun.
Troublesome indeed.
With their tent in a new location, Gaara did not want to transport them directly inside of it, lest he accidentally dropped them on top of some furniture (a bed would not be the worst thing to land on, and Sakura did look very fetching when she blushed, even more so when she was sprawled out under him and focus, Gaara), so he landed them directly outside one of the gates instead.
"Kazekage-sama, Haruno-san." A pair of sensor shinobi greeted them with a salute.
Gaara's response was a small nod, and he walked forward to allow them to probe his chakra. He barely managed to stop walking before the shinobi waved him through, and that left him wondering if his chakra signature was so tellingly unique that he could be immediately deemed as the genuine article.
Sakura, however, did not enjoy the same treatment. The other sensor shinobi had already rounded her twice, his hands hovering over her form as he proceeded to double and triple-checked her chakra signature against her records. Meanwhile, the sand-cat had pushed itself against Sakura as it made hissing noises towards the sensor shinobi; the shinobi's actions were clearly causing it distress, and Sakura at least had enough manners not to appear upset by the undue level of scrutiny placed upon her.
Of course. Ass-kissing was the name of the game here; He was a Kage, and whoever these shinobi were, they wanted to make a good impression on the Kazekage. They might be Suna-nin, looking to improve their lot after the war. Gaara had no clue, as their headbands did not tell of their village allegiance, and he could not be expected to remember the face of every shinobi under his command either.
"Haruno-san, if you'd please," he called out to Sakura, causing the sensor shinobi attending to her to stop his probing. With a small scowl on his face, he waved a baffled-looking Sakura through.
Gaara resumed walking once Sakura approached his side, and he then requested for her to show him to their tent. She gestured towards the middle of the camp, which was not much of a surprise to Gaara.
What was a surprise to him was the fact that his siblings had their tents pitched next to theirs.
Sakura seemed just as incredulous as well when Temari and Kankurou ducked out from their tents to wave a greeting before heading back inside, wearing winsome grins on both their faces.
"I was not aware of their tent location, Kazekage-sama," was Sakura's response the moment Temari's huge fan vanished into her tent behind her, a somewhat pinched expression on her face as she reflected on the various occasions of being walked in on whilst making out with Gaara by his well-meaning if poorly-timed sister.
Completely oblivious to Sakura's reason for her distress, Gaara simply said, "That is not an issue, Haruno-san. I am sure they have requested this out of concern for my well-being."
Though, there must have been some breach of protocol for his siblings to be able to bunk so close to him. Usually, these spots were reserved for his ANBU team, with key war personnel spread out throughout the encampment to avoid them being wiped out in a single attack. While Temari and Kankurou were not ranking officers, they were both of the Kazekage bloodline. If all three of them were felled, it would effectively mean the end of Sunagakure's Kage family. There would be political instability that could cause their village to stumble back into their militaristic leanings which Gaara had been trying to undo since his inauguration.
Yet he knew that he would not be able to find it in his heart to push his siblings away; They had witnessed him close to death twice already, and their concern for his safety must have spurred them to make this placement request.
There was also a small part of him that was glad that he would be able to reach them in an instant to protect them with his sand, should the encampment come under attack once again.
Gaara politely held up the tent flap for Sakura to enter ahead of him.
What was out of character for him was how he threw up a wall of sand around the inside circumference of the tent once they were both inside. It became even quieter inside the tent if it was possible, although they should already be shrouded in silence thanks to the erected sound barriers.
Sakura shivered minutely as she forcefully tore her gaze away from the thin wall of sand, her brain going to very inappropriate places thanks to their newfound privacy. She ignored the sand-cat as it leapt onto her bed. Instead, she moved towards the middle of the tent to point at an empty spot between two chairs.
"I left your desk with Baki-san. I should go and find him so we can get you set up for paperwork once more," she smiled at the idea of normalcy, and Gaara tilted his head at her lighthearted tone.
"I have it right here."
Gaara reached into the folds of his robe, plucking out the storage scroll that Baki had handed to him earlier. Several hand seals and the aid of his sand later, his desk was back in the centre of the tent, completing the look of their living area once more.
He gestured towards Sakura's usual seat, "I understand you have questions about the meeting, Sakura. I will do my best to answer whatever you wish to know. However, as it was a meeting between the high command, my hands are tied on the extent of what I can reveal.
"Your security clearance only allows for so much knowledge of our plans until it can be disseminated to our army. Circumstances would be different, of course, if you were the Kazehime, as that would entitle you to the same level of security clearance I hold."
"That," interrupted Katsuyu as she poked her head out from Sakura's medic pouch, "Is the absolute worst marriage proposal I've ever heard in my entire life."
"Katsuyu-sama!" Sakura admonished with a flush on her cheeks.
"And I should know, Kazekage-sama. Sakura has had much more romantic proposals from other shinobi since the war began, and yours definitely ranks among the most unimaginative," the slug continued as she slithered up to sit proudly on Sakura's shoulder, "It is certainly the most presumptuous one, though, I'll give you that."
Gaara scowled as he regarded the animal summon, and said dryly, "It was not a marriage proposal, Katsuyu-san. I was merely explaining my limitations in sharing information with her. When the day comes that I ask for her hand, I can assure you that it will put all her past suitors' attempts to shame."
"Are you sure, Kazekage? There was this one shinobi that brought her-"
Sakura managed to stop any further embarrassing information from coming out of Katsuyu by cupping her hands around the slug's head. When she looked back towards Gaara, she caught a hint of a stormy countenance before his face slipped back into impassiveness.
"I want to know if we are allies with Orochimaru now?"
A nod as Gaara returned his attention to her, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the Sannin's addition to their army became common knowledge. "Yes. The Kage's have agreed to his terms for an alliance, and the War Council has seen wisdom in doing so as well. I cannot tell you what terms we have come to, only that the alliance was a necessary one if we hope to save the world from Madara."
Sakura pondered over his words, trying to glean further information that he may not have been forthright with; Looking underneath the underneath and hoping that he would drop a clue or two in his choice of words.
The most she could make out was the fact that the alliance was a necessity. Any misgivings they had about Orochimaru would have to take the backseat for now.
She was no fool - she had witnessed the almost-deaths of all five Kage less than a fortnight ago. Madara's powers were beyond their comprehension, and Orochimaru must have had a trump card of sorts in order to sway the Allied Shinobi Forces into accepting him into their ranks.
On to her next question, then, "All that talk about Sasuke… Is he part of the agreement as well? Will he be taking our side in the war against Akatsuki?"
Upon hearing this question Gaara unconsciously bit the inside of his cheek, and he quickly considered how much he could tell Sakura - it would be a delicate balance between not filling her with unfounded hope for her former teammate's return, as well as letting her know of the precarious circumstances that would surround it.
"Sasuke has made no commitment one way or the other. Orochimaru has been tasked to persuade him that his best course of action would be to throw his lot in with us - a tall order even under the best circumstances."
Not that Gaara could blame the last living Uchiha - the Snake Sannin had made repeated plays for his body after all, and Orochimaru would have to muster up a good reason to even get Sasuke to listen to him instead of rendering him into a bloody smear upon sight.
Sakura must have thought the same thing, because she suddenly sighed aloud and shook her head in annoyance, "Well, good luck with that. Sasuke barely listened to me the last time I tried talking to him. In fact, he tried to kill me during that encounter, so I hope Orochimaru isn't planning to approach him without a few tricks up his sleeves."
The less she mentioned of her shoddy failed attempt against Sasuke with a poisoned kunai, the better. Despite the regenerative powers of Kyuubi within him, Naruto was ill for a full day after facing the wrong end of it.
In the meantime, Gaara was looking at her with open surprise written across his features. His silence at her words prompted Sakura to turn her gaze back to him, and the clear spark of determinedness in her eyes made his soften in turn.
"You don't care that Sasuke may continue to hold affection towards you?" There was mild wonderment in his voice as he took a step closer.
Sakura reaching out to fist her hands into the front of his vest made him stop his approach, and he allowed her to tuck her head under his chin.
Which left him within acid-spitting distance of Katsuyu, but he was not all that concerned about the slug right now.
"If I returned the sentiments of everyone who felt something for me, what does that say about me? My morals? And my maturity?" Sakura muttered against his covered clavicle, her soft hair tickling the underside of his chin, "I care only for one person in that way, and that person is standing in front of me right now."
She leaned backwards enough to let her hands slip upwards between them to cup his jawline, tilting his head down towards hers as she parted her lips quietly. Gaara blinked as she closed the distance between them to slot their mouths together, the contact causing a spark of heat to manifest and flow readily down into both their chests from their physical connection.
This was the first time Sakura initiated a kiss without prompting, he suddenly realised, and that recognition of the evolution of her feelings towards him sent a surge of unbidden elation right through him.
He instinctively threw his arms around her to pull her even closer towards him, if that was possible, and Sakura made a small sound of surprise at being lifted off her feet. The sweetness of that sound only stirred his fervour more, and Gaara allowed a growl of his own to escape him as he proceeded to lick his way further into her gasping mouth.
Even Katsuyu perched on the back of his hand, generously oozing slime, was not enough to deter him for once.
"You are mine," Gaara's voice rumbled out against her lips, "Say that you are mine."
The possessiveness in his tone felt like a jolt of lightning rushing straight to her stomach and right down into her cunt, churning up a storm of emotions that made her blood hotter as she nodded.
"Yours," she whispered, pulling back reluctantly from the kiss so she could collect herself against the intensity radiating off her lover, "I am yours."
"Good," he huffed out against her mouth, leaning in for another lingering, deep kiss before he allowed his grip around her to loosen, and Sakura could finally step back from him.
Not that she wanted to, when there was an interesting male body part that was expressing an interest in taking things further. However, Katsuyu's slime had spilt from the back of Gaara's hand, and was starting to seep under her shirt and down her back. Also, the sand-cat was head-butting both their calves quite obstinately.
So Sakura took a much-unwanted step away, creating a pocket of space between them so they could attempt to calm themselves down.
"I never doubted you," Gaara clarified, taking a lock of her hair between his fingers to caress gently, his eyes looking straight at her, "But it gladdens me to know that we are on the same page when it comes to the strength of our feelings for each other, and perhaps, tell of our future together."
"And that," Katsuyu waved an accusing tentacle towards Gaara as she clung tightly to the back of his hand, "Is most definitely a marriage proposal."
Deliberately ignoring Sakura's tomato-red face, Gaara lifted his hand back to himself, keeping it flat so he could balance Katsuyu safely. To everyone's surprise, he placed his hand on his own shoulder, and that was a cue for Katsuyu to climb onto him.
"I have a troop review scheduled with Baki soon. I will see you back here at ten tonight, Sakura," he said, then taking advantage of her flushed countenance, proceeded to make her blush further by leaning in to whisper, "Tonight, if you will allow me, let me give you some pleasure of your own. We were rudely interrupted by the summon from the War Council, after all."
Sakura bit on her tongue to stop any strange noises from emitting from her throat, and she only just managed to suppress a startled squeak of mortification.
If Katsuyu had heard him, she made no comment about Gaara's indecent proposal.
The sand-cat, on the other hand, was trying to bodily shove Gaara out of the tent by pushing against his ankles.
With a ghost of a smirk thrown backwards for good measure, Gaara waved as he exited the tent, Katsuyu in tow on his shoulder.
"Katsuyu-san, I have a request."
"If you are trying to bargain for some private time with Sakura, Kazekage, you should know I am not her keeper anymore. I have no say in what she chooses to do when she clearly feels so deeply for you. I only ask that I be given advance notice, so I can leave before things get too heated," the slug answered matter-of-factly.
"Ah, no," Gaara had the good sense to blush lightly, and he quickly schooled his features into his usual poker face as he took note of the shinobi around them, obviously interested in knowing how he had fared from his injuries and his subsequent recovery. "I actually want a list of the shinobi who tried to romance my personal medic."
Katsuyu froze on his shoulder, and it took her a few seconds before she leaned forward to mutter accusingly, "I am not a squealer, Kazekage."
"Are you telling me to speak to the Hokage's pet pig instead? Because I don't think it talks."
"No, Kazekage, I won't knowingly send a bunch of shinobi to a sandy demise; That was what I meant," Katsuyu clarified, and she squelched as she oozed slime liberally on his shoulder to stick herself in place, "At any rate, there is no need for some ridiculous dick-measuring contest with these men, when you know you will be facing an Uchiha for her hand."
Gaara frowned at her words: his first thoughts for Sakura's suitors was not to harm them, but to speak politely to them to dissuade them from any illusions of her feelings towards them. It would save everyone a lot of embarrassment from being caught trying to hit on the Kazehime, after all.
And as for Sasuke…
"You heard her yourself - she has moved on," he said firmly to the slug summon, "And he should as well. The past holds nothing of substance for anyone."
"Of course. After all, he is the most emotionally-stable member of Team Seven," came Katsuyu's sarcasm-laced reply.
At Katsuyu's words, Gaara grimaced.
If there was to be a confrontation with Sasuke, he had hoped that it would be during a time of peace, when he would be able to devote his full attention to the matter. However, circumstances today suggested that he would be seeing the raven-haired avenger sooner rather than later.
He really should be mentally prepared for the fact that life generally did not go his way.
Baki was standing in front of a platoon of jonin, and Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow at the absence of his Proxy Commander who usually attended all his troop reviews with him.
He stopped abruptly upon realising the reason for Shikamaru's absence, and resisted the urge to facepalm himself.
The Nara heir had to be halfway back by now, so all Gaara could do was to turn to Baki and tell him, "Send Shikamaru to my tent once he returns. I need to speak privately with him."
Baki nodded in acknowledgement, and the jonin's in front of them snapped to attention as Gaara stepped forward.
In perfect honesty, Gaara had many concerns with the current war developments. He could not speak of them to Sakura, as she was not allowed to know of certain matters for the time being. It was time to pick the mind of his Proxy Commander.
And if his men or Baki noticed his inattention, they wisely made no mention of it.